Lending a helping paw

A pig on a plane. A kangaroo in McDonald's. A snake on a bus.

No, that's not the storyline of your child's favorite book, it's the latest trend in the pet industry.

Around the country, pets are accompanying their owners into restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, hospitals, airports and, well, anywhere they normally wouldn't be. You can spot them wearing an official vest, harness or ID tag, offering comfort and companionship in a way that only a four-legged, or sometimes no-legged, creature can.

"[Animals] are very good at being intuitive and deciding when you need help. They're easily taught to fulfill the tasks of a human need," said Nita Eichman, owner of K-9 Training Center in Jackson.

But according to advocates, it's the confusion between service animals, emotional support animals and therapy animals that recently has created quite a stir when it comes to defining the law of public accommodation.

Paula Wright enjoys a visit with Duchess, a therapy dog with the SEMO Regional K9 Search Team, on Monday at Saint Francis Medical Center. (Fred Lynch)

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits businesses from asking people about their disabilities, and since denying access to a legitimate service animal can lead to a $55,000 to $100,00 fine, all sorts of comfort animals are enjoying the same rights and tolerance as service animals.

"I really believe we need to educate the public better on the needs of [disabled people] and why these animals are out there, and not take advantage of these laws just because [people] want to take their dog wherever they want to go," Eichman said.

At her center on Lenco Avenue in Jackson, Eichman trains service animals, which are dogs and, in some cases, miniature horses, to perform tasks a person with a disability is unable to do. A service animal may be trained to alert their handler of an oncoming seizure, retrieve items, open and close doors or guide the blind through a crowded intersection. There are approximately 20,000 in the United States, and, because they're considered a health-care option, much like a wheelchair or an oxygen machine, they have no restrictions. Service dogs can enter any place that is considered a public accommodation.

"It's like medical equipment. It's medically necessary for that animal to do what that person needs them to do," Eichman said.

Unlike a service animal, an emotional support animal can come in any variety, from a hedgehog to a teacup poodle, and doesn't have to be trained.

"[Emotional support animals] are more for affection and companionship and to have the animal there and to turn to. ... They are pretty much just therapeutic animals," said Dr. Sharon Braun, director of public relations at the Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau.

Owners who suffer from a mental or psychological disability use emotional support animals to relieve their anxiety, stress or fears -- for example, flying on an airplane. The owner is only required to have a letter from a licensed mental health professional, but that can be as easy as paying a fee on a website that offers online or phone consultations with a therapist.

Emotional support animals are limited on where they're allowed to go, and they're only protected under two laws.

The Fair Housing Act qualifies a tenant to live in a rental property that doesn't allow pets, and the Air Carrier Access Act, which allows a disabled handler to fly with their pet for free if the animal isn't disruptive and can fit in the main cabin -- so a Clydesdale may not qualify. But for public locations, like a restaurant or a taxicab, an emotional support animal has no more rights than Snoopy at the local library.

While most cases are legitimate, the small minority of people who just want to save a few bucks on air travel have stirred up quite a controversy.

Recently, a US Airways passenger was kicked off the plane when her roughly 70-pound emotional support pig started defecating and screeching in the aisle. Horror stories like this make it more difficult for trained service animals and their handlers to be in public.

However, there's no question that animals do offer therapeutic benefits. Research shows that pets can lower a person's blood pressure, heart rate and relieve anxiety.

Pet Pals, sponsored by the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, is a therapy pet program that allows volunteer pets and their owners to visit patients at local area hospitals and nursing homes.

Therapy animals are trained and certified pets that offer comfort and affection to patients. They must be able to respond to basic commands and tolerate environmental stimuli such as loud noises.

"Our dogs are part of our family, and we provide a service to the community, a loving service. They ask for nothing," said Laura Hurst, program coordinator for Pet Pals. The pets "just want love and kindness because that's what they give."